No treatment of our synod can be complete without a look forward to see where our Lord will take us. Ultimately, through his grace, we will leave the Church Militant and join the Church Triumphant. But where will our Shepherd lead us in time here on earth?
Certianly God has blessed us. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod possesses an outstanding college with dedicated and God-fearing professors. From this college has sprung a small yet viable seminary. These institutions have served the Kingdom and preserved, through God's grace, the orthodoxy of the ELS. Synodical commitment to education is carried over into Christian Day Schools run by member congregations and the forming of area Lutheran high school federations with members of not only the ELS but also the Wisconsin Synod.
World missions remain a vital part of Synodical activities. Political turmoil may cast a pall on some fields, but the Synod has met the challenge with finances and resources. Home missions, too, are being established. The change of the official name to the Evangelical Lutheran Synod has shown the willingness of the synod to shed its parochiolism and display the universal message of the Gospel: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that no one should perish but have eternal life.
The ELS was also instrumental in the formation of a new Synodical Conference that would include confessional Lutheran bodies worldwide. Unity with like-minded Christians is always a joy and blessing from our heavenly Father.
We cannot look forward in time to see what the future holds. Judgment Day could come tomorrow; it could come before you read this article (though if you are reading it then it obviously hasn't); it may not come for another millenium. Certianly history shows us that we must always be alert. The old synod of our forefathers faltered and joined an ungodly union. A brother in the faith likewise slipped and now finds itself inextricably caught up in turmoil and politics. Can the ELS remain in God's truth? Will we have our present brethren at our side for years to come? We hope that God's truth is not lost among us. With the help of God we will keep His truth and promote it to the world. Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out workers, to strengthen those workers and to reap a harvest of souls for eternal life. To this end God help us.
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